Introduction

The segment of ultra fast primes has not seen much attention from Nikon for many years. Once famous for lenses like the Noct Nikkor 58/1.2, the fast options available with AF drive were rather limited and, with the exception of the AF-S 50/1.4, either a little dated or even discontinued like the AF-D 28/1.4.

In 2010 Nikon finally adressed this gap and introduced 3 new or updated ultra fast Nikkor primes, the shortest (and probably most unexpected) one being the AF-S 24mm f/1.4. Regarding its street price of 1800 EUR as of the time of this review it's obviously not targeted at the consumer market.

In this review, we'll have a look at how the lens performs on our current DX test camera, the Nikon D7000, where it is the equivalent of roughly a 35/2 lens.

The AF-S 24/1.4 is cleary designed with the professional photographer in mind, featuring a very solid construction mostly made of metal (including magnesium alloy parts) as well as dust and weather sealing. The rubberized focus ring is nicely damped and operates smoothly.

The AF-S 24 has a rear focus group so its length remains constant regardless of the focus setting and the front element does not rotate. Using a polarizer is therefore no problem.

Optically the lens features a rather complex construction including ED and aspherical elements as well as Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat, which helps to reduce flare and ghosting in backlight conditions.

The lens features a Silent Wave ultrasonic drive, which makes it compatible with all Nikon DSLRs, including the entry-level DX cameras. The AF-S allows for a near-silent autofocus and manual override at any time. The AF speed is not overly fast and certainly slower than the high end f/2.8 professional zooms. However, for typical usage, even press work, the AF is certainly fast enough in the field.

The AF-S 24 is a G-type lens and thus does not offer an aperture ring.